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Originally Posted by
Crysten
That's pretty much what's left of the HNM stigma, yeah.
What is so wrong with having the prospect of progression in a game like this? To use your analogy, low, low drop rates are akin to winning a Mog Bonanza every time you log into the game.
That's exactly right. It doesn't prove anything except that the person getting the drop was lucky. The saying, "I'd rather be lucky than good" should honestly be the FFXI motto. It's not a game of skill. It's not a game of dedication. It's a game of pure, dumb luck.
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Voidwatch drops, and to an extent Walk of Echoes, are a game of chance, nothing more. I could do Voidwrought 200 times and be in the exact same position as when I started - no closer to any of my goals and practically tearing my hair out. I've been through this enough in old FFXI and I got a harsh taste of reality when I went to do my Black Belt post HNM revamp. I'll tell you now, after over 3000 Kindred Seals, 8 Wyrms, 8 Fafnirs, 21 Chlevniks, 21 Behemoths, 1 King Behemoth, 4 Adamantoises and 1 Aspid, my reaction to finally finishing was not one of joy, but one of "THANK GOD THAT'S OVER." Each time I killed one of the NMs, my heart sank just that little bit more and I very nearly quit the game by the end of it all. I look back at my Black Belt not with fond memories, but as one hell of a lot of wasted time.
I think many people can't tell the difference between a sense of accomplishment and a sense of relief. It's not so much that they're happy they won, it's that they're "happy" they finally stopped losing. And yes, when we go out and do an event with a desired result in mind and that result isn't reached, we lost. And FFXI has a habit of making us lose a lot before arbitrarily allowing us to win.
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In comparison, my Empyreans and my Relic were much less painful as I was making progress little by little, day by day. I could see how far I was getting and this gave the motivation I needed to keep going, despite the events being boring as hell. I will tell you now that if I had to kill Voidwrought, Qilin or whatever other VWNM 200 times to guarantee me the drop I wanted, you could sign me up rght now. Einherjar's Ichor system and to a lesser extent, Assault Points, were some of the best ideas SE had to make gear more accessible and it's sad they didn't take advantage of it more.
Yes! I'd be glad to do VW or whatever new events come along if I knew for sure that it'd be worth my time and not be such a gamble. Not all of us like to gamble. There's nothing wrong with having random drops AND a points system within the same event. It works! There's proof of it working out very well! They can easily appease both the gamblers and non-gamblers, but for some reason they choose not to even try to do so with the latter anymore. They won't even throw us a bone at all.
I just don't get why. Too lazy? Not enough manpower? Sorry, but I expect a bit more from a company with a history of greatness like SE. Goes against their current philosophy? To paraphrase a line from an anime I liked, "Screw your philosophy! SCREW IT!"
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While people say people would quit if they got things too fast, the opposite holds true just as much - you cockblock people enough and there's a point they say "No more" and simply walk away out of frustration. Voidwatch is a perfect example of this, especially with the element of cocktease you get when that fulltime WHM that doesn't have a DD job gets that rare body piece!
People who enjoy how FFXI endgame content works as it is and see no need for any improvements should try explaining it to people who don't play MMOs or have played newer MMOs. Those crazy looks and incredulous responses they give aren't for nothing.
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I think people overreact when they say "stop asking for easy mode, you noobs!" We're not asking for a silver platter - we're asking for a realistic reward in regards to time invested. That would give me no end of reason to keep playing the game now and into the future. You keep cockblocking people with artificial and unfair roadblocks, and they're gone.
EDIT:: I completely misread the post - I'm actually totally agreeing with you. Herpderp. xD
There is room for all sorts of content in FFXI. Easy, normal, and hard. There is room for different means of progress within the same event. Random drops and points. The problem is, SE doesn't seem to be working very hard to cater to everyone. They can give all the reasons and excuses they want, but why doesn't matter. They have to provide content that people will enjoy and find rewarding or they will lose subs. No offense, but hardcores and "gamblers" alone will not keep this game in business.